The Zutara Affair
by moviefan-92
Summary: One-shot. Takes place after Avatar and before Legend of Korra. Zuko and Katara realize their true feelings for each other too late. This is the unknown story of their secret affair over the years, and the scandalous truths of their married lives. Stays true to canon, but includes a secret backstory affair. Zutara/Kataang/Maiko. WARNING, themes of adultery. COMPLETE


**(A/N: Ok, this is a story for all the Zutara fans out there who, like me, that were ticked off that the writers went with Kataang theme instead. Personally, I can't see the two of them together; their relationship is more mother/son-ish. It's strange since I was originally against Zutara and for Kataang, but one day it was like a switch was flipped. The writers really should have listened to their fans and gone with their original idea of putting Zuko and Katara together than for the stupid cliché hero gets girl theme. So, what I did was write a fic that allows our Zutara dream to be real and still fit in with the actual story the writer's did. These are the events that take place between the last episode of _Avatar_ and the first episode of _Legend of Korra_. It's very different from how I usually write and very out of my element. And before we get started, I just want to make it know that I DO NOT approve of adultery in any way, and that cheaters really sicken me. But this is a fic, and it needed to be done. So I did the only thing that could be done while keeping things canon. These events could very well have happened and we would never know.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**"THE ZUTARA AFFAIR"**

They hadn't meant for it to happen. They hadn't wanted it to either. But isn't that how it usually is in such cases? No one wants it to happen, it just does. But why did have to happen to them? Hadn't they been through enough already? Apparently not. It seemed as if the saying was true, "love knows no bounds".

It hadn't started out as love at first, just lust. But that was usually the first step. Lust was a part of love, at least in reference to the romantic kind. There were all different kinds of love after all; romantic love, family love, platonic love, fondness love, enjoyment love, the list went on and on. But Katara of the Water Tribe realized too late that she had mixed up platonic love with romantic love.

Most people would consider Katara to be the luckiest girl in the world. She was the wife of Avatar Aang, the savior of the world. Not that titles meant anything to her; she couldn't care less about such things. But she did care about duty, and a great portion of her life was dedicated to duty.

It had started back when she was still a teenager. At age 14, and with most of the boys in her tribe either away at war with the Fire Nation or training to enter the war, she was completely inexperienced with romantic relationships. The only person she had even remotely become involved with was Jet, the leader of the Freedom Fighters, and that had ended up as a complete disaster.

Then there was Aang, the boy in the iceberg, who was revealed to be the Avatar. She had befriended him, mentored him, mothered him. Over time, she had come to love him. However, she had never seen him as a potential love interest.

It had been quite the opposite for Aang. He fell for her, deciding very early on that she was the one for him. He was actually rather selfish and stuck up about it at times, like when he chose not to give her and her brother the letter their father had sent them while he was away at war, or the time he chose her over the rest of the world when he refused to unlock his final chakra, evening know that it meant that the Avatar State would be lost to him if he didn't.

Katara didn't hold it against him though, not for long anyway. Since he had been frozen in an iceberg for 100 years, he had lost everyone he knew and everyone he loved. He hadn't wanted to lose anyone else he cared about. Even though it was wrong of him, she had understood and forgiven him for his mistakes.

Still, she hadn't expected him to fall for her. The discovery had left her shocked and confused. The thought of becoming involved with him like that had never really occurred to her. The only time it had crossed her mind was after the fortuneteller, Aunt Wu, predicted that she would end up married to a powerful bender, which was later followed by a passing comment from her brother, Sokka, that Aang was, in fact, a powerful bender. She had quickly dismissed the idea, finding it utterly ridiculous. She just couldn't see the two of them getting together. Yes, Aang was a powerful bender, but so were many other people in the world. Aunt Wu had never specified who her husband would be.

Before invading the Fire Nation, she had been caught completely unprepared when Aang made his feelings known, or, more specifically, forced a kiss on her without her consent to show how he felt. Completely bewildered, but getting caught up in the moment, which was amplified by the fact that they might not live through the day, she had kissed him back.

Lots of things had happened after that, but nothing ever came from the kiss. Katara had removed it from her thoughts, along with any chance of a romantic future between her and Aang. That is, until he brought it up during that ridiculous play they saw in the Fire nation, and he once again trying to force his feelings on her.

Back then, Katara had been confused and unsure of how she felt. Sure she loved Aang, but she was still highly inexperienced and naïve about the different kinds of love out there. So she decided to put such thoughts on hold and focus on the war. But when Fire Lord Ozai was finally defeated, she was forced to confront her feelings. She decided to try and have a relationship with Aang. After all, she loved him and he loved her, so there shouldn't be any reason why they shouldn't be together, or so she told herself.

As most people do when they love someone for years, Katara and Aang eventually settled down and got married. It should have been a happy ending for them; that was how these stories normally went. But this was real life, not a fairytale.

A few years after they were married, the realization came to her one day. She discovered that although Aang was in love with her, she did not return his feelings. After thinking about this and examining her feelings very carefully for several days on end, she finally concluded that she even though she did love him, she was not _in love_ with him, and she never had been. There was a very big difference between the two. She loved him as a very dear friend, the same way she loved Toph and Suki. But, sadly, she had figured it out too late. She loved Aang and had thought that this was what it should be like between a couple. They had gotten married while they were still rather young, and had lacked real relationship experience, save for Katara's disastrous and incredibly brief one with Jet.

It was a terribly discovery. Katara now found herself in a marriage to a man whose feelings she did not return. There was no spark, no passion, at least not from her side. She felt that if she was forcing herself to be with him out of sense of duty, but that they were completely incompatible, and that they she was only with Aang because it was what was expected of her.

Aang was a good friend, but he had yet to grow up. He may have matured physically, and he no longer ran away from his responsibilities, but he was still such a child. She didn't need a child; she needed a man. Aang was way too immature, and he didn't want to grow up, nor did it seem he ever would, even when she spoke to him about it.

That wasn't to say that he wasn't a good husband. He was always kind and treated her right, but it still didn't change the way Katara felt. There was also the fact that he was the Avatar. It kept him very busy, and he was always away on business, adding feelings of neglect to a marriage that she now knew should have never taken place. But Katara had known it would be like this from the beginning, and she normally travelled with him during their time as boyfriend and girlfriend, and during the early years of their marriage. She knew he had duties, and she was proud of him for fulfilling them. The only thing that got on her nerves was his self-righteous attitude. Being the Avatar made him think he always knew what was best for everyone and everything, assuming that his way was the right way. She had also gotten tired of his childish personality. Yes, it had been cute at first, but she wished he would grow up in that aspect.

It wasn't that Katara was unhappy, no, she was content with her life, yet she still couldn't help but feel like something was missing from her life. There was always a feeling of longing.

There was also the physical part of their relationship. Though she hated to admit it, and would never tell him, Aang was terrible in bed. There was never any passion. It was just him on top of her for a short time, groping and grunting as he moved against her. Katara was always left feeling unsatisfied, taking more pleasure with her own hand than with her husband, almost feeling like sex with him was a chore. She discussed it with Suki and Toph, who both deeply sympathized with her as they revealed how pleasurable their own experiences in the bedroom were. Toph actually gave incredibly graphic details that shocked and amazed both girls. Suki gave Katara a much more watered down version of her experiences, but Katara found these to be incredibly disturbing since she knew that Suki was doing these things with her brother.

As for her, she was left with a very boring, very unfulfilling sex life. She supposed that it wasn't really Aang's fault and that a lot of it had to do with being raised by monks. Clearly, the monks had a very different idea about sex, seeing it as nothing more than for reproductive purposes.

Eventually, Katara decided that this would just be her lot in life. She wouldn't have one of those joyful marriages with someone she was hopelessly in love with like her parents, brother, and friends. But she supposed she could live with that, though she was frequently sexually frustrated. She thought it would be better to stay with Aang rather than rip his heart out.

But Katara wasn't the only one who felt this way about her marriage. In the Fire Nation, Fire Lord Zuko was going through a similar experience, though it was under different circumstances. Unlike Katara and Aang, he and his spouse _did_ have mutual feelings for each other. At least they did back when they were wed.

As teenagers, Zuko and Mai had had an on again off again relationship. Even back then it was plainly obvious that even though they loved each other that they were completely incompatible. They were just far too different. Like his element, Zuko was fiery and passionate while Mai was completely devoid of emotion. She had an uncaring attitude about everything, taking no interest in anything. Even when she expressed her feelings, there was no emotion behind it. Quite frankly, it always sounded as if she were reading a script. She seemed to not care about anything, taking no joy in life. In fact, she seemed to dislike everything in the world, except for a few things that she simple "did not hate".

When Zuko thought about it, the most emotionally he ever saw of Mai was back when she confronted him at the Burning Rock. She was clearly angry with him for dumping her, and in a letter no less, but her voice was still empty of emotion. Only her eyes burned with the anger she was feeling.

Not for the first time, Zuko wondered how he had ever developed feelings for her. After considering it for a long time, he finally came to a conclusion. The reason he had come to love her was because she was the only one, aside from his uncle, to ever show him affection since his mother disappeared. His father had been an evil, abusive, power hungry man, and his sister was a sadistic psychopath that took delight in hurting and tormenting others. Only his Uncle Iroh and Mai had ever showed him any kindness.

His status as Fire Prince had kept everyone else at bay when he was a child, and after his father burned and banished him, Zuko had little to no contact with anyone aside from his soldiers and his uncle. Even when he came back home with his honor restored, people still stayed away from him, disturbed by the scar on his face. It was the same thing when the war finally ended. Was it any wonder that he turned his affections to the only female that had taken an interest in him over the years, even if she was incredibly dull and boring?

In any case, his choices for a wife were rather limited since he was royalty. And with Mai meeting the necessary requirements, as well as being his long-term girlfriend, marriage between the two seemed inevitable.

As time passed, Mai proved herself to be a rather incompetent Fire Lady, at least from Zuko's point of view. She was completely lacking in any opinion about what went on in their nation, taking no interest in anything, even if they were greatly concerning matters of national importance. She simply went along with whatever Zuko decided, stating that she simply didn't care whenever he asked for her opinion or for some suggestions.

Like Katara, Zuko's also had a terrible sex life. Mai was as dull and boring in the bedroom as she was with all things. She certainly seemed to enjoy their intimate sessions, but she was, to put it bluntly, a dead fish. She was always unresponsive and silent, simply laying there and enjoying their lovemaking. Even when she was deep in the midst of a massive orgasm, she hardly moved or made a sound. In short, she was a lousy bed partner.

Perhaps it was inevitable that Zuko of the Fire Nation and Katara of the Water Tribe would be drawn to each other. Opposites tended to attract, and what was more opposite than fire and water?

Since the Fire Nation had started the 100 Year War when Fire Lord Sozin attacked the other nations, and the Avatar was meant to keep peace between everyone, Aang spent a great deal of time in the Fire Nation, negotiating and establishing peace. Of course, this meant that Katara would always be with him, meaning she spent a lot of time in the Fire Nation as well. And she, along with the rest of the GAang, were very close to Zuko. After fighting in the war together, they had become the best of friends.

Ironically enough, it had been Katara who had been the most reluctant to accept him back then. Her distrust hadn't been surprising either. He had, after all, betrayed her back in the caves of the Impenetrable City, Ba Sing Se, after she had opened up to him and decided to trust him. His betrayal had nearly cost Aang his life, and caused Ba Sing Se to fall. Fortunately, he had been able to earn her trust and friendship after saving their lives from the assassin Sokka had named Combustion Man, and by performing countless selfless acts, the most affective ones being rescuing her father from the Boiling Rock and finally allowing Katara to confront her mother's killer.

Even before Zuko's betrayal, it had been apparent that there was something between the two that came to light when they trapped in the cave together. There was a definite chemistry between the two, and the promise of something more, though it had been lost when Zuko sided with his sister, and it hadn't surfaced again for a long time.

Once Zuko joined the GAang, the chemistry between him and Katara remained buried. Coupled with Zuko's lingering feelings for Mai and Aang's pursuit of Katara, the thought of something happening between the two made things very awkward. This had become apparent during the play of their lives that they saw, which portrayed them as a couple, much to the discomfort of the two benders, who quickly inched away from each other.

Perhaps the chemistry resurfaced during the final battle with Azula when Zuko had thrown himself in front of Katara to shield her with his body from his sister's lightning. But nothing came from it relationship-wise. Instead, Zuko had rekindled his relationship with Mai while Katara decided to give Aang a chance, and the flame that had sparked between the two had, for the time, been forgotten as they turned their affection to others.

Years later, as the Avatar's wife, Katara acted in Aang's stead in the Fire Nation while her husband took care of other problems throughout the world. They traveled there frequently, especially during the establishment and building of Republic City, but Aang was always called away to take care of things elsewhere. This left Katara to deal with things in the Fire Nation without him. And with Mai taking no interest in anything that went on, this left Zuko and Katara alone.

Even though it was just the two of them, they were happy together. When they weren't having political meetings and maintaining peace, they simply enjoyed each other's company. Sparring with each other had always been an enjoyable experience for them when they where younger, and it still was now. It also proved to be their undoing.

It happened unintentionally during a sparring session. They had been alone, battling it out with streams of fire and jets of water. Neither was sure who made the first move, but they both suddenly found themselves sharing a heated kiss. Tongues danced together and hands roamed over each other's bodies as the spark that had been buried for so long burst into flames of passion.

The kiss lasted for several long moments, both of them completely oblivious to everything around them. They seemed to come to their senses at the same time and broke apart. They both looked equally horrified at what they had just done; yet their eyes were both glazed over with lust and want as they stared into each other's heated gazes filled with desire.

After that, they retreated from each other. They both avoided contact with the other as much as possible, hoping that it would put to rest whatever this thing was going on between them. But it didn't work. If anything, it made their longing for each other stronger.

Both felt horribly guilty. Not just because they had kissed, but also because they felt that whatever this was that was going on between them was ruining their friendship, and they were too good of friends to let a kiss drive them apart.

One day, Katara confronted Zuko about the kiss they shared. Strangely enough, Zuko had been planning on doing the same thing with her that very same day; she had merely beaten him to the punch. Both agreed that it was a mistake; that they had been caught up in the heat of the moment, that it meant nothing. They both wanted their friendship back, so they decided to put the kiss behind them.

Their talk eventually led to a very deep discussion. They talked about a lot of things, laughing, joking, and having fun. But things eventually became rather depressing when they both spoke of their unfulfilling marriages, confessing they that both realized that they were no longer and never were in love with their spouses. To lighten the mood, they broke out the wine, and soon they were both heavily intoxicated.

The whole evening became a blur, and when Katara woke up the next morning, she found herself in the Fire Lord's bed as naked as the day she was born. Zuko was spooned up next to her, his arms holding her close, just as lacking in the clothing department as she was. Neither remembered what had happened last night, though it was very obvious as to what they did.

Things became awkward again, even more so than before, and again they ended up avoiding each other. A few days later, Katara left the Fire Nation much sooner than she had intended, and the two of them avoided any kind of contact.

Several weeks later, Katara returned with Aang once more. Predictably, Aang was called away two days later to take care of more Avatar duties, once again leaving his wife behind to take care of things in the Fire Nation with Zuko. She had long since gotten used to this, having had it happen more times than she could remember, but this time things were different. She felt very uncomfortable in Zuko's presence, and he in hers.

This time, after a few days, he had been the one to go to her, determine to repair this rip in their friendship once more. And this time he would do it without the wine. They talked it out and decided that it never should have happened and that they would put it out of their minds, just like that had with the kiss. They blamed it on the alcohol, and agreed that they would pretend it never happened. After all, they hadn't spoken a word of what happened to anyone, and they didn't remember any of it anyway. It would be like it never happened. That would make forgetting easier, and things could go back to normal.

But things didn't go back to normal. The spark from their teenage years was now a raging inferno that couldn't be extinguished. They both fought hard against it, but as they both knew, fire was wild and out of control, spreading quickly and consuming everything. And it was now threatening to consume their very beings. Zuko couldn't help but notice that Katara was an incredibly beautiful woman while she noticed that he was a stunningly handsome man. And unlike others, she didn't see the scar on his face as a blemish or a mark of dishonor, but as a mark of bravery and honor for standing up for what he believed was right.

Lust could be a powerful thing. No one could choose who they were to attracted to, but it was acting on that attraction that separated the right from the wrong. They didn't want to feel this way, but they did. They felt drawn towards the other against their will. Though the attraction was there, they chose to ignore it. Acting on their desires for each other was the farthest thing from their minds, yet it resulted in a great deal of unresolved sexual tension between the two that continued to grow stronger over time and couldn't be snuffed out, not even by being intimate with their spouses.

Days turned into weeks, then weeks turned into months, and still neither of them acted on their desires, but the signs were there for those who knew what to look for. A shared look of longing, the brushing of hands, a lustful glance, lingering touches, heated blushes, unnecessarily long hugs, and those were only the ones seen on the surface. Racing hearts, fluttering stomachs, inappropriate thoughts, and erotic dreams were also there, though they were kept silent by the ones experiencing them.

Their attraction grew and grew, thoughts of the other invading their dreams every night where they did no longer held back. They never wanted to betray their spouses, even though it had already happened once during a drunken night. They both thought that committing adultery was a horrible thing, but the feelings were there, and they refused to go away. No amount of meditating or intimacy with their appropriate partner helped.

Perhaps, deep down, they both knew what such an activity would lead to, but they did it anyway. Or perhaps they had been trying to prove to themselves that they were unaffected, and that was their reason for it. Whatever the reason, they decided to spare gain, and just as it had led to their first kiss, it also led to another.

As they fought, while at the same time trying to ignore how attractive the other looked, all sweaty and disheveled, their feelings become overwhelming. They were locked together in combat when their lips suddenly met. Just as before, neither was sure who initiated it, but they both found themselves locked kissing deeply, their tongues dueling together just as fiercely as the two benders had been just seconds ago.

They knew it was wrong, they knew they shouldn't do it, but they just couldn't fight it anymore, and they finally acted on their bottled up feelings for each other. It was a wild and animalistic act, and both ended up sweaty and breathing heavily afterwards. It was immensely satisfying, both having experienced pleasure unlike any other. It was far greater than anything they ever felt for their spouses.

Once the afterglow faded away, the guilt and shame settled in. They suddenly realized what they had done, and the severity of their actions. There were no excuses this time, no alcohol to impair their judgment. They had both willingly decided to act upon their lust.

They were quiet for a long time afterwards. They both felt horrible, but their bodies still recalled the joy and pleasure of coming together, and how it was so different and so much greater than anything they'd ever experienced with anyone else. But eventually the silence was broken and they talked, finally admitting their attraction to each other, an attraction that was still there, only now it was stronger than ever.

They both reluctantly decided that since it had happened anyway that, just this once, they would completely give in to their desires. They hoped that by doing this that they would be able to get it out of their systems once and for and be able to salvage their friendship, and their marriages. And so, they spent the entire night making love in various positions and various ways.

It soon became apparent that they made a huge mistake. Giving in hadn't gotten it out of their system. It had made it worse, much, much worse. They fought against it again, but it was even worse than before. They only lasted a few days before they ended up in bed together again.

For weeks it went on, their attraction growing and spiraling out of control as they tried to fight it, but failed miserably. As they ended up becoming intimate more and more, their feeling grew, going beyond friendship and physical attraction.

It wasn't uncommon for lust to evolve into love. The two did go together after all. And Zuko and Katara soon found themselves experiencing love for the first time. Real love, the kind that both were and had been lacking all their lives. The kind that Zuko had never quite reached with Mai, and the kind that Katara mistakenly thought she felt for Aang.

Of course, they never voiced their feelings. It was bad enough that they were having an affair, but to actually admit that they were in love with each other was crossing the final bridge, from which there would be no turning back. So they never spoke of it, but their eyes and bodies expressed their feelings in more ways than their voices ever could.

Aang and Mai were none the wiser. Aang was always away on business to notice anything, and he was incredibly naïve. He never suspected a thing. And Mai had such little interest in her husband's life that she didn't notice anything either. Her room was even separate from Zuko's, and she never came to him at night. It was always Zuko that had to go to her so they could produce an heir. But even if Mai did find out about him and Katara, she probably wouldn't care enough to do anything about it. Sure she would probably be angry and complain to Zuko about it, but it was unlikely that she would do anything else. Besides, as Fire Lord, it was well within Zuko's right to have concubines, but he never viewed Katara as demeaning as that.

Actions always had consequences. Katara's affair with Zuko eventually led to the inevitable. She ended up pregnant. There was no doubt to who the father was. She hadn't been intimate with her husband for a few months, and hadn't even seen him for weeks, yet she coupled with Zuko several times since then.

She was lucky to find out early on. She discovered she was pregnant while healing herself after a sparring session, discovering that she was only a couple of weeks along. Fortunately, Aang had returned a few days after Katara made her discovery. She had sex with him that very night, providing the perfect cover for her pregnancy. Everyone would think that the child was Aang's, and she would have to pass it off as such, or risk having all of their hard work of restoring peace fall to ruin. If the truth ever got out, it would be catastrophic.

She couldn't keep the truth from Zuko though. He had the right to know. It was his child after all.

When she broke the news to him, it was bittersweet. Both she and Zuko knew that no one must ever know. What would it look like if just a few years after the 100 Year War ended that the wife of the Avatar became pregnant with the Fire Lord's child? It would be the biggest scandal in history. The fragile trust the other nations had in the Fire Nation would be gone, the peace that they managed to establish throughout the world would disappear, and the war probably would start again. And that was the best-case scenario.

Though Zuko absolutely hated the thought, he knew that he had to go along with Katara's plan of passing the baby off as Aang's. It would be his punishment for participating in the affair. But there was still the possibility of their secret getting out when the baby was born. Fire Nation citizen were commonly known for having golden yellow colored eyes. Neither Katara nor Aang had eyes like that. If the baby was born with such eyes, they could be exposed. And there was also the chance that the baby would be born as a Firebender. If that was the case, that would be a dead give away that the child wasn't Aang's.

Both Zuko and Katara did extensive research on the children of past Avatar's. In all cases when the child was a bender, they were always of the element that one of their parents was born from, regardless of the Avatar being able to master all four styles of bending. That meant that if their child was a bender that it would either be of fire or water.

Fortunately, when the child was born, it seemed to have taken after Katara, both in features and in bending. Katara wanted to name her new daughter Kya, after her mother. Aang agreed to it, and when Katara told Zuko their daughter's name, he assured her that he couldn't have picked a better one himself.

After Kya's birth, Zuko and Katara once again tried ending their affair. Their guilt and shame was consuming them, yet their resolve only lasted two months before they came together again. No matter how hard they tried, they just couldn't stay away from each other. Their love was too great, their feelings for each other had grown stronger than their sense of morality and right and wrong.

They couldn't take it anymore, and they finally confessed their feelings to each other. They admitted that they didn't love their spouses as they should and instead loved each other. With the final barrier breeched, they completely embraced their feelings for each other and began their affair again, no longer fighting against it. They came together every night and whenever they could during the day, relishing in their love for each other, knowing they had found their true soul mate, but could never show the world their feelings. So they kept it secret, fearing that being discovered would start up the war again, but fearing losing each other even more.

Both she and Zuko hated themselves for their deceit, and they felt incredibly guilty and shameful. It was wrong, yes, and they were terrible for doing it, and for putting the world at risk once more, but they couldn't give each other up. Their love was too great. They had sacrificed so much for the world, done so much to make others happy. Didn't they deserve some form of happiness? They couldn't even really be with the person they truly loved. Couldn't they at least have these stolen moments when they presented themselves.

Eventually, Katara fell pregnant again, the child once again being Zuko's. It wasn't that they weren't being careful. Unlike with Kya, who had been conceived back when they had been trying and failing to resist each other, Katara had been taking medical herbs that prevented pregnancy. And though the herbs were known to be highly affective, there were a few cases where they failed. It seemed like this was one of those times. And though it greatly put their secret at risk, both of them were happy beyond words for this new blessing.

Like before, it had been weeks since she last saw her husband, and she had once again caught her pregnancy early on. But unlike last time, Aang did not returned for a couple weeks after her discovery. Thankfully, she wasn't really showing yet, but a few signs were there. She quickly slept with her husband once he got back and hid her morning sickness from him for as long as she could. When her pregnancy was revealed, it was simply believed that her pregnancy had developed quickly. She knew that when she gave birth people would just assume that the child had been born a month early. This deception brought forth more guilt than ever before, but it needed to remain their secret.

The same fears and concerns that had been present when Katara was pregnant with Kya were there once again. But their secret remained just that when the child once again retained more of its mother's heritage. Unlike Katara and Zuko's daughter, their new son was a non-bender, so their secret was safe. Everyone believed the child was the Avatar's.

Aang wanted to name the child Bumi, after his old friend. Katara wasn't all that fond of the name, but because she felt guilty about constantly cheating on her husband, and because both of her children were Zuko's, she allowed him to choose the name.

Although Zuko would never be allowed to claim his children, he spent as much time with them as he could, becoming known as "Uncle Zuko" to them, and doing everything he could to ensure their happiness. In fact, many years later, Bumi would become the commander of the United Republic of Nations, curtsey of Zuko.

Not long after Bumi's birth, Zuko presented an idea to Katara. Even though it would be greatly frowned upon and considered a great dishonor by everyone, he suggested that they divorce Mai and Aang so that they could be together. He wanted Katara to be his Fire Lady and no one else. If it wouldn't be allowed, he was willing to give it all up, to run away with her; anything so they could be together.

Tearfully, Katara admitted that if they were ordinary people, she would indeed do just that, and would have presented the idea herself long ago. She wanted nothing more than to leave her husband and become Zuko's wife, but she was more realistic. Even if they did divorce their spouses, the two of them could never truly be together. Peace was still shaky, and the other nations were still hesitant to trust the Fire Nation. Zuko would be accused of stealing the Avatar's wife away from him, and the accusation would be made no matter how many years they waited before announcing their relationship. It was the same reason why no one could find out that Zuko was Kya and Bumi's real father. They couldn't allow the war to start up again, no matter what it cost. Running away together couldn't be done either. The two of them were two important to the peace of the world for them to just disappear, no matter how much they both wanted to. No, their relationship would have to remain behind locked doors, just like it was now.

With great reluctance, Zuko agreed. Both he and Katara continued to play the role of loving husband and wife to Mai and Aang. They tried hard not to be jealous with thoughts of their real soul mate being with someone else, even though it tore at their hearts. They tolerated the intimacies they had to show their legal spouses while imagining they were with each other during such times. As far as anyone knew, Zuko still had needed an heir, and people were expecting Katara to bring more Airbenders into the world.

Even though their desires were for each other alone, they were forced to pretend otherwise. Eventually, Mai produced a daughter as an heir for Zuko while Katara became pregnant with what was Aang's actual first child. They had a son that they named Tenzin, who did indeed turn out to be the only other Airbender in the world besides Aang. He was very different from his half-brother and half-sister, a result of having a different father, though none of the children were aware of this fact. Many years from now, Tenzin would bring forth more Airbenders into the world and train the next Avatar in the ways of Airbending.

With a new Fire Nation heir and a new Airbender in the world, Katara and Zuko began to meet in secret and express their love for one another once more, savoring the time they were able to spend together with the person they truly loved. As they collapsed together on the silky red sheets in a sweaty entanglement of limbs, they whispered words of love to each other while pushing aside the guilt they continued to feel for their acts of adultery.

Kissing her deeply, Zuko ran his hand up Katara's side as he repeated the same words they said to each other countless times over the years. "This is the last time."

Like always, Katara nodded in agreement. "Last time," she repeated.

They both knew they were lying.

**THE END**

**(A/N: A heartbreaking and heartfelt tale of a love that should have been, but never was due to a very bad judgment call from the writers. However, if you're like me, you can picture this, or your version of similar events, to have actually taken place. What the writers don't tell us are well within our rights to imagine. So, in my opinion, Zuko and Katara really did fall in love and had an affair, and Kya and Bumi were really fathered by Zuko instead of Aang. This is the untold story that took place before the _Legend of Korra_ that no one ever found out.)**


End file.
